Lucky Arrow
by Rowanfall
Summary: They'd lost their lucky arrows in times of bad luck. But maybe those old arrows did have some good luck in them after all. Artemis/Red Arrow.
1. Luck Lost

**Lucky Arrow**

**The inspirations for this were: Warriors, Pocahontas, and How to Train Your Dragon. (LIONBLAZE AND HEATHERTAIL SHOULD FALL IN LOVE AGAIN, POCAHONTAS SHOULD'VE STAYED WITH JOHN SMITH, AND TOOTHLESS NEEDS A GIRL!)**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

**Luck Lost**

Roy grasped for another arrow, his quiver almost empty. Cheshire grinned at him evilly."C'mon, _Speedy_. Don't tell me you're losing your edge."

The archer snarled, and in an instant had his last shot notched and aimed at the assassin. "Don't move."

Cheshire straightened from her attack pose. "Looks like you've got me. But you know what they say about appearances..." Like lightning her hand flashed to her belt and grey smoke enveloped the two fighters. Roy let his arrow fly in rage. "They're always so deceiving!"

The redhead growled in frustration, the smoke causing his eyes to water. He pushed through it quickly, waving as much as he could away, hoping to catch a glimpse of his enemy.

Nothing.

Roy gripped his bow tighter, grinding his teeth. She'd escaped _again_. This was the third time this month he'd caught her doing some kind of damage in the forest near Mt. Justice. The archer groaned, realization hitting him as he facepalmed.

_Perfect._

He'd just used his lucky arrow.

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><p>Artemis leapt nimbly from a rocky boulder to a small ledge. Mt. Justice was perfect for night climbing. The archeress was born to discover, and if there was one thing she loved more than exploring during the day, it was exploring during the night.<p>

She stopped to rest for a minute, dangling her legs. Artemis took her lucky arrow out of her belt. She alway carried it with her, along with her collapsable bow, just in case. This arrow had first saved Wally from A.M.A.Z.O., then the whole Team from the Reds. Heck, it'd gotten her _on_ the Team.

It meant a lot.

Artemis breathed in deeply, letting the night air invade her lungs. It was so spine-chilling being up here sometimes. After all she was three feet away from plummeting to her death. The blurry lights of Happy Harbor were very different from Gotham's, and she could hear buoys and foghorns down on the beach. The ocean below was composed of so many different shades of black and dark blue and silver, the moon above a sneering crescent.

_Like the Cheshire cat._

A deep shudder ran underneath her. The ledge shook, and Artemis felt it begin to give way. She scrambled to her feet, gripping a small outcropping of granite nearby as insurance. Her seat crumbled into pebbles and rocks as it tumbled down the mountain and into the trees.

Her insurance paid off. She hadn't been fast enough to get her feet to prop her up safely, but she'd managed to hang on to the granite. Artemis sighed in relief, thanking God that she hadn't fallen.

_Wait a second. If my hand's keeping me from falling, then what's keeping..._

She stared in dismay at her lucky arrow, plummeting into the dark forest right behind the mini avalanche she'd accidently created.

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><p>The last thing Roy wanted to do in the middle of Friday night was go looking in the forest for his missing arrow. Had it been any other shot, he would've forgotten about it and gone home. But this had been one of his father's arrows.<p>

_I don't have anything else from him._

It was slightly different from his other arrows. It had the red shaft of feathers, but the arrowhead was carved obsidian, so he couldn't track it. It meant a lot to him, and he always saved the obsidian arrow for last.

A rumble drew his attention away from his thoughts. Against the light of the moon, he saw shadowed circles and lumps scrambling down the mountain.

_Cheshire? Is she trying to get into the Cave?_

Roy, without any more arrows and only a modest amount of combat skills, took off running to warn his friends.

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><p>Artemis heaved a huge sigh, blowing strands of wayward hair out of her face. She didn't always get a chance to spend a night at the Cave, and the archer had planned on getting a real tour of the mountain. Instead she'd have to go after her lucky arrow. <em>This sucks.<em>

She looked around from where she was hanging. _There!_ A tiny pathway down to the forest. From there, she could head over to her arrow.

Artemis breathed in deeply through her nose, and began to swing. Back and forth, until she'd gained enough momentum, and then she let go of the granite.

The hero landed perfectly on the star-stained rock, crouching in an automatic attack position. She straightened warily, testing her weight in case of another weak spot. Although she found it able to hold herself, Artemis sprinted down the pathway, just in case.

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><p>Roy crouched down near the fallen rubble. Lightly, two fingers skirted the rocks and dirt around them. There was no oily feel of poison. Cheshire, although she wore gloves, carried weapons that oozed chemicals, and upon touching something would leave a telltale smear of venom.<p>

Roy's eyes narrowed behind his domino mask. Reaching past the uninformative stones, he picked up a slender object.

An arrow.

For a moment his heart raced until he realized it was too thin and light to be his obsidian shot. He held it up to the moonlight, trying to identify it. The shaft was drenched in too much silver to see clearly, and the arrow felt grainy, yet smooth, as if it was made of wood.

Roy tucked into his quiver. It was so much shorter than his arrows, that the lone shot fell beneath the rim.

"Augh!"

In an instant the archer was in an attack position. It had sounded like a cry of pain, but you could never be too sure.

_Northeast. It came from the northeast._

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><p>Artemis skirted to the end of the pathway, dread creeping as the stone underneath her trembled hazardously.<p>

She would have to leap to the ground. There was a small knob of rock she could grab onto, and then she could simply swing like before.

The archeress' feet left the pathway, and she stretched her hand out to grip the rock.

Too late, Artemis realized with wide eyes that the rock was sharp quartz. "Augh!"

She fell on her feet shakily, her right hand in a fist. The hero carefully opened it, wincing. Several small cuts ran across her palm, her archery glove torn. Blood oozed out rapidly.

_Come on! Seriously?_

She shook her head in frustration.

_Huh?_

A tiny glint caught her eye. Ignoring her wound, she tried to see it again. _If I tilt my head like this - there! _

A shiny black something was snuggled in a wild fern. Softly, Artemis walked over and bent down to try and see what it was.

An arrow.

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><p><strong>Review please! I'll give you a virtual lucky arrow!<strong>


	2. Awkward Affiliations

**Lucky Arrow**

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! You guys make my day :D "Forbidden Friendship" by John Powell from the How to Train You Dragon score is good music for this chapter.**

**New inspirations: My reviewers, and Carl Hiaasen's books (Hoot, Flushed).**

**Chapter Two**

**Awkward Affiliation**

Artemis cradled the arrow in her non-injured hand. It was beautiful. The head was a glittering black stone, it's smooth facets capturing the silver light around her. The archeress stroked the arrow gently. "Where did you come from?" She muttered, narrowing her eyes. It's shaft was stained dark red. Artemis heard soft footfalls approaching and whipped around.

Her eyes widened, the arrow hidden behind her back. "You!"

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><p><em>What the heck? <em>Suspicion and anger flooded Roy's senses. "Me." He snarled. "What are you doing here?"

"My headquarters. What are _you_ doing here?" Artemis snippily dodged his question.

"Making sure your throats don't get cut in the middle of the night." Roy's eyes narrowed.

The archeress crossed her arms, having tucked the arrow into her belt out of the archer's sight, her posture lazy. "We have a security system."

"I bet you do." He muttered, remembering Canary telling him about the Reds' attack on the mountain. "Listen, I'm not here to waste my breath. Have you seen anything unusual?" _Would she tell me of she had?_ He began to regret having so quickly become hostile. Whether she was the mole or not, information was more easily given to friendlies than enemies.

"Other than a teenage boy sneaking through the forest on a Friday night?" she snorted. "I thought you had a life." Instantly the words stung Artemis' own heart. _That's not fair. _

Roy's jaw clenched. "Enjoying nature's a crime? For your information, Miss Consumer, I'm looking for a Shadow."

"Which one? There's only about, oh, I don't know, thousands of them, give or take?" Her voice was snarky, but he noticed a slight change in her attitude. She was more tense, more alert. "Now why don't you get out of here, Nature Boy? We, _Junior Justice League_, can handle ourselves."

She waved her hand dismissively as she turned around to leave. Roy's breath caught in his throat as he noticed dark liquid running from her palm to her elbow. He caught her wrist, gripping it gently.

"Hey, let go!" Artemis whirled on him, her heart hammering with indignance. She was ready to punch his lights out.

But Roy wasn't in a good postion for a fight. Still holding her wrist, his free hand brushed throughout the plants on the forest floor. Muttering softly to himsef, the archer began to tear leaves off of a sleeping flower stem near a tree trunk. "Hold still." he commanded.

Artemis obeyed, for once. She was slightly fascinated, and curiosity pinpricked her.

Roy held the leaves up to the moonlight, as though checking them. He crushed them into a dark green wad and stuffed it in the back of his mouth, chewing the leaves into a wet mess.

"Hey!" Artemis protested, Roy swiftly retailiating with a fierce glare. She returned it with just as much force, until the redhead used her moment of distraction to smear the leaf pulp onto her injured palm. "Don't move." He growled.

Letting go of her wrist, he walked to the tree from where he'd found the leaves. Roy reached up high into the willow, his hand returning full of a delicate misty fluff.

Still watching, Artemis began to feel a soft stinging in her hand, as if it were hydrogen peroxide on the wound instead of green pulp. After a moment the stinging left.

Instead of grabbing her wrist, this time Roy carefully opened up her palm. He applied the misty fluff, which Artemis now saw was cobweb.

"Marigold leaves to prevent infection, and cobweb to stop the bleeding." He muttered.

"What?" Artemis glanced up at him from her hand.

"The stuff I used to try and heal you. Your welcome." He turned away, his moment of gentleness gone.

"I was looking for Cheshire, if you need to know." Artemis breath caught in her throat as he admitted his purpose. "But if you say you can handle her, then be my guest." He began to leave.

"Wait." Artemis called out. "Have you seen my arrow? It fell around the direction you came from."

"No." Roy replied, not even stopping. Artemis sighed, frustrated.

"But if you want, I'll help you look for it, and mine, tomorrow night." _Mine? _That arrow she'd found! "You'd better get some rest now. Wouldn't want you getting hurt again, just so I'd have to kill another plant."

"When tomorrow night?" Artemis shouted. She wanted to know how he knew about which plants to use on her hand. The unknown knowledge bugged her more than her lost arrow. The redhead was now out of her line of vision.

There was no answer, but Artemis didn't care. She was to find out some more about this evasive archer, with gentle hands and a gruff voice.

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><p>Roy was unsure why he'd helped her. He knew what to do, and how to heal her, but why did he go ahead and do something as bizarre as chewing up marigold and fastening it with cobweb on her palm?<p>

_She wouldn't tell anyone._ Roy knew that, unlike the majority of women, Artemis was not a talker. She wouldn't gossip about him to anyone, thank God.

He'd found her arrow. He knew it was hers. Something told him to keep it for now. When they found his arrow, he'd pretend to have found hers and just give to Artemis then.

He paused in his walk back to the Happy Harbour Zeta Tube. He'd never found out what she'd been doing in the forest in the first place.


	3. New Names

**Lucky Arrow**

**Yes! New chapter! :D Running Away next, then Valiant.**

**Shout-out to safirel! You are such a sweetheart, and this chapter is dedicated to you. Can you believe this girl? Her amazing story, which you should really read, called "Let Down Your Hair," now includes my OC Brooke! Thank you! :D**

**Chapter Three**

**New Names**

The moon was still fat in the sky. The ocean's soft roar could barely be heard, drowned out by the nighttime noises of the forest. Deep purple heather and yellow marigold, rich patches of clover, ferns and rowans. The oak trees grew beside pine without any problems, which usually was rare. Artemis had wanted to spend Saturday night maybe just walking the forest before it got too cold. She certainly couldn't climb, not with her hand the way it was. She sat on a tree log in a small clearing thick with clumps of plant life, thinking about a certain archer. The blonde recalled the events of last night. She'd washed off the guck when she'd gotten home, her hand feeling much better now that the wound had scabbed over. She'd have a scar though. Around 12:36 A.M. she looked up cobweb and marigold.

She bit her bottom lip as she went over the information she'd found in her mind: _Cobweb's especially effective for wound dressing. It's an old wive's remedy; a lot of people think it's garbage. But I found nothing on marigold. How did he know what to use? Maybe GA taught him; but why would he teach Red Arrow it and not me? I'm not good enough? No, no I shouldn't think like that. The guy's pretty much lying for me. If anyone think's I'm not good enough, it's-_

Artemis gasped as a hand closed over her mouth and yanked her back. She landed on the forest floor, her eyes swimmimng in the darkness. The blonde shook her head, rubbing her temple. Red Arrow's sneering face loomed above her.

"You really need to work on your focus, you know that?"

"Ah, shut up." Artemis griped, getting up a little too fast. She knocked her head against Red Arrow's with an _ow!_

"Watermelon." Red Arrow groaned, his hand on his forehead.

"What?" Artemis looked at him incredulously.

"Watermelon. It's what you say when you knock a couple of heads together."

Artemis snorted. "Why would anyone say that?"

Red Arrow sighed. "Look, you want to find our arrows or what?"

"Find our arrows."

"Good." He turned his back on her, staring at where he believed his arrow to be. "We should cover a range of about 3-4 acres each. Look for cut leaves, or torn floliage-"

"Wait," Artemis stepped in front of him, her arms crossed. "How come we have to find _your_ arrow first?"

The archer snarled. "Because we know for sure where yours is."

"Then it just makes it easier for us to go get mine first."

"Look, I came here to find my arrow, not to waste my time helping you dig through God knows how many rocks to find a shot that's probably been shattered." Roy whirled in frustration on her. _I could end all this by just giving her her arrow back..._

_I could end all this by just giving him his arrow back... _"We're going to make sure it's not shattered."

Red Arrow leaned in on Artemis, his face very close to hers."I'm not gonna argue with you, understand? We are getting my arrow _first_."

Artemis punched him in the mouth.

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><p>Roy felt mixed blood and saliva trickle down his chin. <em>What the - Oh, she is so dead. <em>He snarled as he lunged at the archeress, who stepped swiftly to the right, smacking him over the head before he whirled around, jutting his elbow into her stomach. She seemed unaffected as she kneed him - _hard _- in the gut. Roy groaned as he remembered Cheshire hitting that soft spot not long ago. He looked up, rage filling his eyes, his hand reaching back to pull a trick arrow out.

_How could I left my quiver at home? _Roy berated himself.

"He-unh!" Artemis socked him in the mouth again. The archer fell on the ground after the powerful impact, his head spinning.

"You really need to work on your combat skills, you know that?" Artemis mocked, standing over him, her hands on her hips.

Roy wasn't going to let himself get beaten by this - _girl_. Like lightning he jumped up, pulling back a fist, aiming at her stomach. Artemis stopped his hand right before it could make contact, and once more punched his face.

_I've had enough!_

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><p>Red Arrow finally learned his lesson and backed away, choosing to stop the offensive streak. Now it was Artemis' turn. She knew Roy was big on offense, but she was even better. <em>C'mon Roy-boy. You should know you're not the boss of me.<em>

She felt warm wetness on her palm, the injury having opened during the fight. It bled freely, sticky and slippery. Ignoring the pain, she nimbly leapt forward, deciding on using her feet and forgetting her fists for the moment. Artemis kicked at his head.

She'd underestimated his offense skills.

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><p>Roy caught her foot, causing the archeress to go off-balance. He grinned, sensing a win, and twisted her ankle in a manner that would make her fall without causing serious injury. She gripped his hand at the last minute, and he tumbled to the ground with her under him.<p>

The hero's breath caught in this throat as he stared into her inky gray-black eyes. They were brimming with indignation and anger, flickering coals in the firelight. Her hands were pinned above her head, and the moon's silver shined down on her heart-shaped face. Green-blue clover surrounded her, making her look faerie-like and ethereal.

For a moment, Roy forgot everything, just staring into those lively, sparkling eyes inches away from his own.

_Wow._

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><p>Artemis wanted to rip that stupid look off his face. He was staring at her, his mouth slightly open like a gaping fish, and she wanted him to snap out of it. They were in the middle of a good spar; least he could do was let her up so they could continue.<p>

"Get off me!"

Red Arrow blinked, his hand still holding hers. "You're bleeding again." he murmured, having felt the warm liquid for the first time. "Your wound needs to be redressed." His anger melted away almost as quickly as it had fired up.

"What about-"

"The arrows can wait. Sorry." He added.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowed. She nodded once to show she accepted this. _Now I can ask him how he knew about all that stuff._

"Here, sit down." He got up off of her, holding out his clean hand. Artemis pushed it away, relying on herself. She got up, only to sit cross-legged among the soft clover.

Red Arrow held up his hands, one covered in her sticky blood. "Truce, 'kay? We'll go back to beating each other up as soon as you're fine."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Just get on with it." She was getting frustrated and a little impatient.

Red Arrow gave her a look before leaving the patched clover clearing.

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><p><em>Get your head in the game, Harper. She hates you, she replaced you, and she's nothing more than an annoying, back-talking, overly-independent girl. <em>Roy pulled the cobweb gently from the pine tree's twigs. Some stuck to the bark, as they always do. Carefully, he snapped the precious strands at the very base of their connection to the wood, so as not to waste any.

_"Habits are cobwebs at first, ropes at last." Brave Bow always used to say that. _Roy felt a weight on his heart as he thought of the Tachini tribe. They had been his family, more than his biological father or Ollie had ever been. He used to worship Green Arrow, but now...

The redhead swallowed, gently palming the cobweb as he searched for marigold._ Memories do nothing but hurt; will you focus and just forget it! _Roy frowned, bending down and snapping the leaves off of the innocent flower.

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><p>Artemis winced as Red Arrow picked at the scab. "What are you doing?"<p>

"There's some pieces of rock still in your wound." He didn't look up from her hand.

"So how'd you learn all this stuff anyway?" Artemis held her breath, trying to sound indifferent. _You better tell me, or so help me God that last fight's gonna look like a game of checkers._

"None of your business." He glared at her, however, he'd just placed the marigold in his mouth. The effect of his glare was ruined by his half-full cheek and his muffled voice.

Artemis snorted. "I think I have a right to know where you got your medical knowledge, especially since it seems to work."

He spat out the marigold leaves and smeared it on her wound. Artemis inhaled sharply from the sting, withdrawing her hand. Gently he took it back, placing the cobweb on her palm.

"It was my tribe." Red Arrow sighed.

"Your _what?_"

"My tribe, the Tachini. I was a Navajo Indian, you know." He looked at her, annoyed.

"They taught you this?" Artemis felt a respect growing in her heart. "What happened? Why'd you leave them-?"

"That doesn't matter." He cut her off, standing up. The archer held out his hand, which Artemis took without any remarks.

Artemis didn't ask again. _It's not like I don't have my own secrets. _"Did you have a different name?" She went a new way with a less personal question.

"A name?" Red Arrow skeptically raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like an Indian name?"

"Well..." He rubbed the back of his neck, almost sheepishly. "Yeah. I did."

"And it was?" Artemis prompted, nodding for him to continue.

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><p>"K'aa'e'eeh." Roy narrowed his eyes, ready for her to laugh or say something snarky.<p>

"What does it mean?" She asked. Her eyes were wide, shining with curiosity.

"Arrow of the sunset. They really liked my red hair." _Why the hell am I telling her this? I'm digging my own grave here!_

The archeress fell silent, a thoughtful look on her face. Her eyes lit up. "What do you think they'd have named me?"

Roy's own eyes widened. _That's easy. _"Naadáá lii. Corn horse."

"Naadáá lii. Cool." She looked back at him, with all the appearances of indifference.

An idea came into Roy's head. "I answered your questions. Now answer mine. What were you doing here last night?"

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><p><strong>Please review!<strong>

**Wow, I've gotten so many positive responses to this story. I didn't know there were so many Red Arrow/Artemis fans out there!**

**Thank you again, safirel! :D**


	4. Friends First

**Lucky Arrow**

**I was on Spring Break, and there was hardly any Internet. My only excuse :D**

**Chapter Four**

**Friends First**

"That's none of your business." Artemis crossed her arms, turning away from him.

"It is now. You dragged me out here and beat me up, so you better tell me why we now have to go looking for your arrow." Red Arrow took a step forward.

"I like walking at night, getting away from Star." Artemis caught herself. _That was close. Almost said Gotham. _"It's...nice here."

"More than nice. It's quiet." Red Arrow surprised her, his voice dipping softly. "You can hardly find places like this anymore." His eyebrows furrowed angrily. "People destroy whatever they want, without giving a second thought that they're cutting down more than trees, and ruining more than forests."

"So you're an archer, a doctor, and a nature expert." Artemis smiled smugly.

"So you came here in the middle of the night for a walk, and just happened to drop your arrow in a rockslide?" He dodged her comment artfully, with narrowed eyes.

"Alright, maybe it was more than a walk..." The archeress trailed off.

"And managed to give yourself a good-looking cut on your hand. Sure you don't want to change your story?" He gave her that irritating smile, the one where she wanted to smack it off his face.

"Yeah, well, so what if I climbed the Mount. Nothing wrong with that." She turned back away from him, feeling as though she sounded artificial, trying to convince herself.

"Yeah. Nothing wrong with that." He echoed. "C'mon." He walked off, ignoring her coldness.

Looking at him out of the corner of her eyes, she saw his rapidly retreating form. "Wait!" She called out.

"C'mon, Naadáá lii!" And he broke off into a run.

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><p>Roy didn't want another combat fight with Artemis. Partly because it hurt, and partly because it was stupid to waste time beating up a fellow hero. However, showing up a fellow hero was something entirely different. Her taunting words rang in his mind:<em>"You really need to work on your combat skills, you know that?" <em>

He gritted his teeth, running harder. _You're going to eat those words. No way your marksmanship is anywhere near mine._ Roy pushed the memory of her cool gray eyes pretending to be uninterested in her new name out of his head. He wasn't going to hurt her; she did a good enough job of that herself. Just teach her a lesson.

Her pounding footfalls behind him began to speed up. "Arrow, wait!"

Roy pulled out his bow, snapping it into shape. His quiver had been refilled, and he fished out an ordinary arrow. Hidden underneath his mask, his eyes darted back and forth searching for just the right-

_Perfect. _Roy jumped on the fallen log, the momentum of his run and the increased height from the log giving him leverage to land among the branches of an oak. Turning back, he stretched the string of his bow until it was ready to snap, the arrow trembling slightly in his hand from the pressure. The leaves around him stopped rustling, hiding him from sight, and the forest was quiet. For a moment, anyway, until Artemis arrived.

She ran nimbly, but without any of the quiet control Roy had. He smiled grimly. No doubt Artemis knew how to be sneaky in the city, like Robin, but neither of them had that sense of complete silence he had in wild places. _I guess it's just a Navajo thing._

Keeping both eyes open, he found his target and let the arrow fly.

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><p>Artemis inhaled sharply as she felt a snap near the base of her head. Her long hair flowed out from its usual ponytail, and she shivered at its cool brush against her neck. She halted, skidding on the pine needles and moldy leaves, having left the patches of clover far behind.<p>

Reaching up, she fingered her hair for the broken band. _It must've just snapped. I tied it too tight again. _

"Always wondered what you looked like with your hair down."

Glancing up, she saw a silhouette perched on the branches, the moon shining fully against him as he stepped out from behind the leaves. A ghost smile stood out on his face, his bowstring still fresh from a shot. Her eyebrows raised, Artemis realized what had happened. Whirling around, she saw an arrow with a red shaft embedded in a tree. Her hairband was on the ground near it, sliced neatly by the arrowhead..

"You owe me a new hairband." She turned back on him.

"Yeah, and you owe me an apology, but we both know neither of us are gonna pay up." He jumped down from the tree, landing in front of her just a little too close. "Are we?"

In response, Artemis scowled, anger filling her at Red Arrow's overconfidence. _He's worse than Kid Flash. Thinks he knows everything._ "How could you shoot at me? It's the middle of the night, and the band was really close to my head. It could've been so easy for you to miss-"

"I never miss."

The archeress scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Want proof? Pick a target." He waved his hand around. "I'll hit anything within a half-mile radius."

Artemis narrowed her eyes, glaring at each growing thing as if she could minimize them and their ability to be targeted on sight. _Arrogant jerk. I'll show him._ "That leaf over there. The one that looks like the number seven's on it."

In less than five seconds, Red Arrow had strung a shot, aimed, and hit the tiny leaf perfectly.

* * *

><p>It was an ash tree's leaf. <em>Good for rattlesnake bite. <em>The look on Artemis' face was priceless.

"How'd you hit that?" She instantly turned on him, hatred fogging up her eyes. _Whoa, looks like Replacement here doesn't like being shown up either. _He could almost admire her for that.

"How'd you manage to punch me three times in the mouth? Practice. I just answered both questions." A flash of envy dug into his chest as he recalled the fistfight.

Artemis fell silent, her rage smoldering quietly.

Suddenly Roy felt remorse. He didn't want them to be forever jealous of each other. He sighed, rolling his eyes. Bending down, he pointed toward the ash tree. "Mash up their leaves, mix them with water, and you'll have a good cure." He straightened back up.

"For my hand?"

"For rattlesnake bite. Just bandage your hand when you get home."

Her curious look came back, but anger was still there. "If you teach me how to shoot like that, I guess I could help you fight better."

"Really? You think I need your help?" His voice was thick with sarcasm, an eyebrow raised and a smile on his face, but Artemis didn't catch it. All she heard was the infuriating comment.

She smacked him on the arm. "Ugh, you're so annoying. If you want to be like that, fine. I'm going to go look for my arrow." Artemis turned away, stalking towards the Mountain.

* * *

><p><em>That boy is so...so...<em>She couldn't even find an appropriate word to describe him. _Who does he think he is? I made a offer to help him out, that's all. And oh, boy, does he need it. I could've knocked him out if I wanted to before he got in that lucky hold. I was holding back._

Her feet thudded against the forestground.

_Something must be wrong with him up there. I should just break his arrow and burn it. Then he can look for it as long as he wants. I don't care. Jerk._

Artemis came out of her temporary mental rant to see that she was heading towards the beach. She needed to go the other way, but as she turned she felt something brush her ear.

She frowned, hating how her hair was loose instead of in it's neat ponytail. The archeress reached up, yanking the yellow mass to the side to try and braid it. Instead, her fingers hit slim metal.

Pulling it out, she saw it was a black arrow with a red shaft. A scrap of paper was folded around its stem. Opening it, she read ten words that made her roll her eyes and sigh. _Yep. Not one appropriate word to describe him._

"Tomorrow night, Naadáá lii. You're gonna shoot like a Navajo."

_And you're gonna fight like a Crock __K'aa'e'eeh._

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><p><strong>Happy Easter everyone! :D I have no internet at home either. Scrambling to catch up on everything.<strong>

**I have a prompt for people who read this story. Just wanna see if you're interested:**

The prompt is to base a oneshot on a character from Young Justice on one of the three following quotes:

_"You can break a man's skull, you can arrest him, you can throw him into a dungeon. But how do you control what's up here? How do you fight an idea?" _

_"Almost at the moment He died, I heard Him say, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  
>"Even then."<br>"Even then. And I felt His voice take the sword out of my hand."_

_"When the Romans were marching me to the galleys, thirst had almost killed me. A man gave me water to drink, and I went on living. I should have done better if I'd poured it into the sand!"_

**Already ideas for fanfics about these quotes are bouncing around in my head, but they're staying in there till I finish Running Away. Who's climax, I hope, is not going to totally disappoint everyone. **

**(NO, Artemis wasn't dreaming. Everything that occured, occured in reality.)**

**Reviews? :D I'll give you an Easter egg.**


	5. Training Troubles

**Lucky Arrow **

**Whoa. An update? Haha, I know! I surprised myself!**

**I have school, but I'm going to try and update Running Away and finish up a chapter of Valiant (curse you, writer's block). The sequel to Another Way is being outlined! WHOO-HOO!**

**After that, I've got some more ideas. I have a tragic humor family fluff in mind for Red Arrow, a dark alternate ending to Bloodlines, and a whole other mess of ideas for other categories.**

**Oh, and a collab with SafirelV :D**

**Chapter Five**

**Training Troubles**

Artemis pulled back the bowstring, her hand trembling slightly from the strain. She erased everything from her mind: crickets chirping, the trees rustling far off, the silvery-mountain guarding nearby, and focused on the oak tree. She even ignored Red Arrow, who stood stone-faced behind her, watching her every move.

Closing her left eye, the target seemed much clearer. Artemis let go, and the arrow flew in the air and lost itself in the shadowy forest. Artemis lowered her bow, frustration taking over. _C'mon! Can't you get anything right?_

"Try it again; keep both eyes open." Red Arrow murmured.

"What?" Artemis turned back to face him.

"Keep both eyes open. You shut your left eye. You lose half of your peripheral and direct vision when you do that."

Artemis raised her eyebrow, skeptical. "And put all my focus on my target!"

"Just try it." Red Arrow growled.

She rolled her eyes, turning around and reloading. The archeress pulled back the bowstring, tighter than before, her target still the oak tree. Her left eyelid automatically closed.

Warm breath tickled her neck, and she felt Red Arrow's presence come closer. Artemis tensed. At least he had the decency not to put his arms around her.

"Calm down." Gently, he lowered her elbow. Placing two forefingers on her right hand, he pushed until the bowstring wasn't so taut. "Keep both eyes open, and don't try to empty your mind to focus. Listen to everything." Artemis felt herself obey. Her left eye opened, the oak tree realigning itself. Crickets, leaves, waves, the Mountain, Red Arrow's steady breathing and her own heartbeat, filled her mind.

The feathers brushed by her cheek as the arrow flew past, burying itself in the oak. _Yes! _The blonde bit her upper lip in satisfaction. Turning around, she rolled her eyes at Red Arrow's smug smile. "That was, well, pretty cool. Who taught you that?"

The archer's smile left. "A friend."

Artemis sighed, wishing she hadn't asked anything. She tossed her bow on the ground along with her quiver. Taking a fighting stance, she shifted in the sand until she found good footing. "Alright now, your turn."

* * *

><p>"My turn?" Roy narrowed his eyes. <em>Like she can teach me anything useful. <em>He knew that Artemis was going to be annoying. She asked too many questions and didn't stop to think about what she was doing. She just did it.

Artemis, staying in her fighting stance, nodded her head at his posture. "Yep. Sparring time, Sunset."

Roy snarled before bending his knees and taking an attack position, leaving his quiver on his back. _If she punches me in the mouth, I swear..._

"Wrong." Artemis clicked her tongue.

He straightened up. "What do you-"

"Stay in position!"

Snarling, the archer resumed his stance. A half-smile of arrogance on her face, Artemis' eyes flicked back and forth, taking in every detail and point of his bad form.

"Standing like that, it'd probably take me eight seconds to knock you out. Maybe less, but it's 3:00 A.M. and I'm tired."

Roy scoffed, narrowing his eyes.

"And why'd you leave your quiver on? Perk up your elbows, guard your chest. Bend forward, find good footing, so I can't knock you down." Artemis bit her lower lip, searching for more to comment on. "Oh, and always keep your eyes on my hands on feet. Y'know, so I don't mess up you face."

Roy narrowed his eyes, sighing before taking off his quiver. _I don't like it. My quiver's always on when I'm patrolling. Like I'll have time to take it off before beating up someone._

"As a fighter, you need to be loose and free of distractions. Well, when you start out." Artemis grinned. "Later, you can put you quiver back on. When you can fight decently without it."

"Are you going to actually start sparring, or just keep insulting me?" Roy growled, his patience wearing out.

In an instant Artemis had ducked underneath his arm, pinning it back up against his shoulder.

"Agh!" The archer gritted his teeth to keep from crying out. _What is she doing!_

"Three seconds. Choose your move." The redhead strained to turn around, the corner of his eyes barely catching hers. _She's serious. _Snarling, he ducked his leg and tried to trip her. Instead, he ended up banging his foot against hers helplessly.

"Good footing is very important." Artemis' voice was thick with cheek. "You have an arm over here in a fist doing _nothing_! Remember what I said."

Roy felt as though a lightbulb had gone off above his head. _She's got my left arm pinned, but I can fix that. _He stopped straining against the blonde, hoping she'd go for the trick. _Now I'll show you._

* * *

><p>Artemis noticed Red Arrow losing his strength. "Aw, come on! Was that seriously all you had-" Her sentence was cut off as the archer spun around, wrenching his arm free. He swung his foot, throwing her off balance before catching her and gripping her in a headlock. "Now, Arty, stay free of distractions." His grin infuriated Artemis to no end.<p>

"Lemme go!" She bit his hand. _Let's see how you like this distraction._

"Ach!" He released her, shaking his hand in pain. "What's wrong with you?" Despite his mask, Artemis could still sense, with satisfaction, his pride-wounded glare. Shaking her hair out, she took her time before answering.

"That wasn't too awful." The blonde bent down and picked up Red Arrow's quiver, offering it back to it's owner. Roy stared at her with suspicious eyes. "Well, aren't you gonna take it?" Artemis placed her hand on her hip.

Reluctantly he took it and nestled it back between his shoulder blades. "We're done, then?"

"Of course not. Now we talk about what you did wrong." Artemis tossed her ponytail, flecks of sand scattering around her. "First, you let me catch you off-guard. Second, you didn't use your free hand like I told you to-"

"I'm left-handed." Red Arrow snarled, still rubbing where she'd bitten him.

"Let me finish. Your footing was _horrible_, and that can kill you." Artemis nodded with a grim expression at Red Arrow's raised eyebrows. "Having good balance is a critical thing in sparring." Artemis was warming up to teaching someone else what she'd been taught. "It's smart fighting."

The redhead narrowed his eyes, staring at the ground before facing her. After a moment he replied, "Do you always empty your mind before a mission?"

"It helps me focus." Artemis said without a hint of remorse.

"It only makes it worse. You have to be able to take in everything and process it." He brushed the sand off his uniform. "I think if you tried that with your fighting, it'd help."

"Oh, I'm sorry, then. I figured since, y'know, _you're _teaching me sparring skills, _you'd_ be the one to win." Artemis rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Red Arrow faced her, rage darkening his features. "I didn't come here so that you could teach me sparring. I came because you wanted to learn how to shoot like _me_." His smug grin seemed to wipe away his momentary fury.

Artemis' eyes widened in anger. "What is wrong with you? Did you get-"

"Shh." His voice sharpened by fear, the whites of his mask became thick circles. "Don't move. Behind you."

* * *

><p>Roy felt his heart rate go up as he heard Artemis gasp. <em>Does she have to be so loud! <em>"Artemis, I need you to back away very slowly. Don't look at its eyes, keep your voice low, and no sudden movements." His voice came out husky and deep so as not to rile the mountain lion staring at them.

"That's a puma." Artemis' voice was little more than a squeaky wheeze.

"Quiet." Slowly, Roy reached for an arrow. The lion's eyes darted toward him. Flicking his ears, he let out a snarl, baring his yellow teeth.

"Arrow, what are you doing?" Artemis whispered.

"I need you to hand me my bow. I have a tranquilzer arrow that I can-"

Roaring, the lion pounced, his black claws unsheathed. Artemis found herself leaping in front of her archery mentor. "Arrow!"

"Move!" In a heartbeat, he'd shoved her aside and raised his arms to defend himself from the oncoming attack. Artemis was thrown into the sand, her breath caught in her throat as she looked back up.

Roy had gripped the lion's muzzle with his hands, keeping him from baring its teeth. His claws however, tore into the archer's chest. Roy cried out in pain. "Artemis! The tranq!"

Artemis' eyes shot towards the fallen arrow, inches away from her. She picked it up, staring at it and then the lion before running toward Roy.

"In his flank! Hit him in his flank!" The redhead yelled, struggling to maintain his grip on the lion's jaws. Artemis dodged the lion's claws and jabbed his hindquarters with the arrow. Thick blood seeped out as the lion roared in fury. He abandoned Roy and whirled around to face the blonde. Roy fell back on the sand, gasping. "Don't run! The tranq should wear it down."

Even as the lion glared at Artemis, she could see the rage in his eyes dimming. Snarling, he tried to lunge at the archeress. Artemis jumped to the side quickly, the lion falling face-first into the sand. Flicking his ears, he turned around slowly, unable to find his footing.

Sinking into the dirt in front of the archeress, the lion let out a final roar before collapsing. Breathing heavily, Artemis' eyes darted towards Roy, lying in the sand as tiny droplets of blood dripped down his vest. "A-Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. rookie." He stood up, wincing slightly. "But the last thing I need is for this wound to get infected."

"Marigold leaves, then?" Artemis sighed, feeling relief wash over her. _We're okay. Neither of us got hurt. Thank God._

"And cobweb." He half-smiled before turning serious again. "First we have to get him off the beach though. If the tide comes in and he's still here..." Roy's voice trailed off.

Artemis' eyes widened. "Wait. You're actually considering saving that animal?"

"Not considering. The decision's already been made." He shouldered past her on his way to the sleeping mountain lion.

"Red, that puma just tried to kill you-"

"Because it was starving. Mountain lions don't come down to the beach for fun, Artemis." He glared at her, kneeling beside the big cat. "Life is valuable, you know. You can't throw it away because he or she was desperate and did something stupid." Roy's blue eyes bored through Artemis'. She knew that he wasn't just talking about the mountain lion.

The blonde felt something oddly warm creep into her heart at hearing the senior archer say that. "You're right." Artemis scoffed, kneeling beside Roy and propping up the lion's head. "Life is valuable."

Roy placed a hand on hers. "I was serious Artemis. I know not a lot of people believe in human goodness, but as a hero, you kind of have to. We're living proof of it."

Artemis looked back at him. "And we never kill."

Roy smiled, lifting up the lion's sleeping form with the archeress' help. "Never."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, this chapter came out of nowhere. Not a lot of plot, since this was mainly character development, but there is some story continuation. Will be a lot more next chapter, promise :D<strong>

**Oh, and Running Away's next chapter will be up soon. In the process of writing it as you read :D**

**Thank you for waiting so patiently! Please review for faster updates!**

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